Li'i Kamahine Nalowale (Little Girl Lost)
by AmyD and Suisan
Summary: Steve and Danny discover a young girl out for a walk, without any adults. Where did the girl come from? Why is she alone? Who does she belong to?
1. Chapter 1

Li'i Kamahine Nalowale

(Little Girl Lost)

"So Grace wants to learn how to dance the hula. What's wrong with that?" Commander Steve McGarrett asked his partner, Detective Danny Williams, as the two men sat outside eating lunch. It was another gorgeous day in Honolulu, what some people might call a 'Chamber of Commerce day'.

"My daughter in a grass skirt and a bikini top? I don't think so." Danny replied, scowling at the sandwich in front of him. He watched Steve put mayonnaise on the French fries he was eating. "There is something wrong with you, you know that?"

Steve looked at him. "What now?"

"Mayonnaise on French fries?"

Steve looked at Danny. "This from the man who thinks catsup is one of the four food groups." He held up a hand to forestall comment. "Look, you had the same objections to her learning how to surf. Given the choice between a grass skirt and a bikini top and just a bikini, which one would you chose?"

"Neither."

"Okay, now you're just being stubborn. One of these days soon, Grace isn't going to let you choose." Steve popped another French fry in his mouth, looked over Danny's shoulder and frowned.

"What?" Danny twisted around in his chair to see what Steve was looking at.

A little girl, no older four, walked right past the two men as if she owned the sidewalk. There did not appear to be any adult accompanying her. Steve got up and followed the child while Danny scanned the sidewalk and surrounding area for anyone that might be with her.

"Get down on her level so you don't scare her." Danny called after Steve.

"This may come as a surprise, Danny but I had been around children before I met your daughter." Steve called back. He stepped around the little girl and squatted down in front of her, effectively stopping her.

She looked at Steve, her dark eyes studying his face, one small finger making its way into her mouth.

Steve smiled and said, "Hello, sweetie, my name is Steve. What's yours?"

The child did not respond, other than to start sucking on her finger while smiling.

"She might not be old enough to talk." Danny said, coming up behind the little girl. "Grace learned to walk almost a year before she learned to talk...She might not understand English either."

"That's completely possible." Steve said switching to French, then Spanish, then, finally Hawaiian, to no avail. "Okay, that's not working. Come 'ere, cutie." The little girl permitted him to her up and he was able to get back on his feet. "So, who do you belong to, little one?"

She looked from Steve to Danny and back, then giggled.

"Little flirt. Grace was like that." Danny said. He looked around. "She's got to be from around here. She's clean, her clothes are clean and she doesn't seem unhappy or scared."

Steve nodded. "Get Chin or Kono on the phone and give'em a description of her that we can put out if we don't find whoever's responsible for her. Meanwhile, let's walk around and see if we don't find some frantic parents."

Danny pulled his cell phone from his pocket and dialed the 5-0 Headquarters. "Kono? You are _not _going to believe this. Steve and I found a little girl while having lunch...Of course, I'm serious, get something to write with, I'm giving you a description...Okay, Caucasian girl, about 4 years old, curly dark hair, dark eyes..." He realized he wasn't certain about that and turned to ask "Steve, what color eyes does she have?"

"Brown."

"You hear that?" Danny asked Kono. "Good...Uh...yellow sundress, white sandals. We're looking for her parents right now. If we don't find them, we'll be back within the hour...Okay...Bye."

Danny hung up and looked over at Steve and the little girl, who seemed quite content in Steve's arms, resting her head on his shoulder and sucking her thumb. He shook his head. "What is it with you and the female gender?"

Steve grinned. "She's got good taste. Don't be jealous."

"Whatever."

A canvas of the neighborhood and surrounding area proved fruitless. No frantic parents came forward and none of the vendors recognized her either.

"Well, that worked." Danny said, looking down at her. The little girl had allowed Danny to carry her, giving Steve's arms a rest. She smiled up at him.

"Back to headquarters." Steve said. He pulled his cell phone from his pants pocket and dialed. "Kono? No go on the parents. Put the alert out. We'll be at HQ shortly."

Danny swung the little girl down to the ground when they reached Steve's car. "Try not to attract a traffic cop's attention."

Steve eyed him across the roof of the car. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"I'm just sayin'...we have a four year old, no car seat and you're driving." Danny replied. He pulled the front seat forward, picked up the little girl and seated her in the back seat pulling the seatbelt around her, clicking it into place. Not a sound came from her. He straightened and pulled the front seat back to its regular position.

He looked up and saw Steve watching him. "What?"

"You wanna drive?"

"And give up this golden opportunity to nitpick, not on your life." Danny climbed in the car and shut the door.

Outside the 5-0 Headquarters, the little girl reached out her arms when Danny leaned into the back seat.

"If that doesn't bring back memories." Danny said, more to himself.

"You say something?" Steve asked, locking the car.

"When Grace was a toddler, she developed this habit of going up to total strangers and holding out her arms. We broke her of that real quick." He looked at the child. "Do you do that?" He asked her.

She returned the look then cut her eyes to Steve, before reaching for him. Danny shook his head. "Steve, your girlfriend wants you."

Steve shot Danny a look before taking the little girl from him. "You know, green envy is not your color, Danno."

The teasing began almost as soon as Steve and Danny walked onto the floor that housed the 5-0 headquarters.

"She's a little young for you, isn't she, McGarrett?" Came one comment.

"She's cute, I didn't know you liked them so short." Came another.

"What's her curfew?" Came a third.

Steve took all the comments in stride, waiting until the little girl was seated in a chair before responding. "All of you just _wish_ you had the ladies falling over you."

There were answering hoots and laughter in response. Steve waved a hand at the crowd, then turned back to the child; she was standing up in the chair, four fingers in her mouth. Her gaze was fixed on Kono who had just come out of her office.

"Hello." Kono said with a smile. "My name is Kono. What's yours?" As had happened with Danny and Steve, the child regarded Kono solemnly but said nothing. "Could she be too scared to talk?"

"I don't think so." Steve said. "She didn't appear to be scared at all when we found her."

"She's adorable. Someone's got to be missing her." Kono said.

Steve nodded in agreement.

"Child Welfare Services is on the way." Danny said, hanging up the phone.

"No one's reported any child matching her description as missing." Chin said, joining the group. "Hello." He said to the little girl. "My name is Chin. Can you tell me yours?" He was subjected to the same intense scrutiny as the other three adults had been but still no sound came from her. He looked at her for a long moment before saying "Tourists?"

"Always a possibility." Steve said.

From the other side of the floor, a handful of uniformed officers stepped off the elevator and walked onto the floor, laughing and talking. The little girl's attention locked on them before letting out a shriek and curling up into a ball. Danny reacted first, scooping her up and seating himself in the chair. He rocked her back and forth, talking quietly to her, trying to get her to calm down.

Steve looked over at the officers, frowning. What had set her off?

"Did you see something that scared you?" Danny asked her. Wonder of wonders, she nodded. "Well, guess that answers the question as to whether or not she understands English." Danny said.

Chin squatted down in front of her and asked "Is what scared you still here?"

She looked across the room and shook her head.

"Let's try yes and no questions." Kono suggested. "Might get something useful."

Kono proved to be correct. The little girl was able to give a rough description of what had happened. At the end of the questions, Danny looked across the room. "Tagawa!"

Officer Hiro Tagawa spun around upon hearing his name.

"You got any more of those stuffed bears in your unit?"

"Yeah, be back in a moment."

Shortly, Officer Tagawa was back with a small, stuffed bear that he handed to Danny. Danny handed it to her. "Got a new friend for you."

She took the bear, looked up at Officer Tagawa, then back at Danny.

"You're welcome, little one." Office Tagawa said, before returning to his interrupted task.

Danny watched the little girl for a couple of moments. "Let's try something." He said. "Do you know your phone number?"

She nodded.

Danny pulled the phone on the desk over to him. He picked up the handset and said to her "Call Mommy and Daddy."

She eyed Danny for a long moment but obediently dialed a number. The phone rang twice, then a woman answered. "Leisel?! Is Eva with you?! Where are you?!"

"Ma'am, I'm..." That's all Danny was able to get out before the woman on the other end of the line cut him off.

"Who is this? Where's Leisel? What have you done with Eva?!"

"Ma'am, my name is Danny Williams. I'm a detective with the Honolulu Police Department. Do you have a young daughter about five years old?"

Silence, then "Yes. My daughter, Eva. What's wrong?"

"Bear with me, ma'am. Could you describe your daughter?"  
"Uh…Brown eyes, curly brown hair, she's wearing a yellow sundress and white sandals. Detective…what is going on?"

"I needed to be certain. I have your daughter right next to me."

Silence, then "You do? May I speak to her?"

"Of course, you can. I'll put her on right now." Danny held the handset out to the little girl. "Your mommy wants to talk to you."

The little girl took the handset and was wreathed in smiles when she heard the voice on the other end. A few moments later, she handed the handset back to Danny.

"Detective Williams? Is that what you said your name was?"

"Yes, ma'am. And your name is?"

"Margaritte Taylor. My husband's name is Davis. Where are you located?"

"Third floor, Iolani Palace. Ask for Detective Williams."

"We'll be right there. Thank you so much." There was a click and the sound of a dial tone.

Danny hung up the phone. "Her parents are on their way." He looked at the little girl. "Is your name Eva?"

She nodded.

"Your mom and dad are on their way."

Eva smiled.

Danny looked up at the other team members only to realize they were watching him with Eva. "What?"

"Where did you get the idea to have her dial her phone number?" Steve asked.

"Rachel and I taught Grace how to dial the house phone before she could talk just in case something like this happened." He paused. "Got some interesting phone calls from doing that. Don't know why I didn't think of it sooner."

"Been nice if it'd been thought of before CPS was called." Chin said.

Danny shrugged. "Oh, well. They can wait for the parents with us."

As fate would have it, both CPS and Eva's parents arrived within five minutes of each other with CPS arriving first. The social worker, a woman by the name of Aeisha Han, was agreeable to waiting for a short period of time. Eva's parents were unmistakable, especially since Officer Tagawa escorted them from the elevator over to the where the team was.

"Eva!" The woman, who had dark hair and dark eyes, came over to Danny, holding out her arms. Without waiting for a response, she scooped the little girl into her arms and started to kiss her.

Eva seemed both thrilled and embarrassed judging from the look on her face.

"There's my girl." The man, roughly the same age as the woman, came up behind her. By looking at him, it was clear to see where Eva had gotten her nose and eyes.

Steve allowed the reunion to continue for several moments before making his presence known. He cleared his throat. Both parents looked up.

"I'm Commander Steve McGarrett, head of Hawaii Five-O. Detective Williams, the person who called, is behind you."

Danny stood and held out his hand. The man and woman looked at each other for a moment before embarrassed smiles crossed their faces.

"I'm Margaritte Taylor." The woman said, taking Danny's hand in hers. "I'm Eva's mother."

"Davis Taylor. The man said, also shaking hands with Danny.

"Thank you so much for finding our little girl." Margaritte said.

"Where did you find her?" Davis asked.

"Kua Aina Burgers." Danny supplied. "Two blocks from here, on the waterfront."

Eva's parents exchanged mystified looks.

Before either could say anything, Ms. Han spoke up.

"Mr. and Mrs. Taylor, I'm Aeisha Han, Child Welfare Services. We were notified before you were located. If you could provide some proof that you are the parents of the child in question, I'll be on my way."

The look on Margaritte Taylor's face was nothing short of alarm. However, Davis patted his wife on the arm and pulled a sheaf of papers from his coat pocket. "What kind of proof, Ms. Han? I have plenty."

After Ms. Han went on her way, evidence in hand, Margaritte looked around the floor, a slow blush creeping across her face. "I am embarrassed that I didn't notice this until now but where is Leisel?"

"Leisel?" Steve asked.

"Leisel Messerschmidt. Our au pair, she takes care of Eva when we're not there." Davis said.

"Please tell me that Eva wasn't walking down the sidewalk by herself." Margaritte said, hugging Eva tighter, to the point the child started to squirm.

"Mrs. Taylor, have a seat." Danny said, pointing the one he had just vacated. When she sat and had loosened her grip on Eva, he said "There wasn't anyone else with her."

"She was walking down the sidewalk like she owned it." Steve added.

"But that's impossible; Leisel would never leave Eva alone for a moment." Margaritte said. "She dotes on Eva."

"Mrs. Taylor, we canvassed the neighborhood for the better part of an hour with your daughter. No one recognized her and no one said they had seen anyone with her."

Margarite's eyes widened as the blood drained from her face. "But, but...if Leisel wasn't with her then..." She slowed to a stop and looked down at her daughter.

Davis stepped in. "We live in Aliamanu-Salt Lakes. For Eva to get to where you found her, well, she couldn't have walked there by herself."

"Aliamanu-Salt Lakes is 15 miles from here." Chin said. "It's a stone's throw from Pearl Harbor."

"Where is Leisel? What happened to her?" Margaritte said, then looked at her child. "Sweetheart, I wish you could tell us what happened." Eva looked at her mother, then back down at her bear.

"Mr. and Mrs. Taylor, before Det. Williams got Eva to dial your house number, she was able to tell us a little of what happened." Steve said. "What started the questions was a group of officers came off the elevator and one of them must have looked like someone she knew or recognized. She shrieked and tried to hide."

"I have a daughter who's nine." Danny said. "When she was Eva's age, she would do the same thing, see something she thought she knew and yell. Or if it scared her, shriek." He made a face. "Our next door neighbor at the time, stopped wearing a yellow raincoat because it scared her. After calming Eva down, she was able to tell us a couple of things. A man came and took both her and Leisel in a car. The man was taller me but not as tall as Commander McGarrett. He had dark hair and looked more like the commander than me or Officer Kelly." Danny pointed at Chin. "The man wasn't wearing a uniform. I realize that's a very general description but does that ring a bell with either of you"

Davis and Margaritte looked at each other, then at Danny. "No, not at all." Davis said.

"How did you find Leisel?" Steve asked.

"An agency." Davis said. "Some of our neighbors had used it before and the women always seemed well bred, educated, etc...When Margaritte suggested that if we got an au pair she could go back to work a couple days a week, that's who we thought of."

"Where is Leisel from?"

"Austria." Davis said. "Her father is a trade minister in the government."

"Oh, no...if Leisel's gone missing...who's going to tell her parents?" Margaritte looked at her husband. "Where did she say they were going to be?"

Davis was silent for a long moment before saying "South Africa, I think?"

"Johannesburg, South Africa." Margaritte said. "Her parents are going to be at a trade conference there this week." She looked at Steve. "We have her parents contact information."

Davis again pulled a sheaf of papers from his coat pocket and started to thumb through them, extracting a piece of paper about half way through the stack. "Here it is."

Kono came forward and said "Let me make a copy of that."

"Someone IS going to tell Leisel's parents, aren't they?" Margaritte asked, the remaining team members.

"Yes, ma'am." Steve said. "Most likely it will be someone from the U.S. embassy over in Johannesburg."

"All right." Margaritte said. She looked down at Eva, then back up at Steve. "I can't even begin to imagine what might have happened to Leisel or Eva if you hadn't found her." She hugged her daughter tightly

"Mrs. Taylor," Danny said, "don't do that to yourself. It's pointless to think 'What if'. As for Leisel, of course HPD will be looking for her and, as a foreign national, she will probably stand out in a crowd." He smiled at Eva. "Kinda like me."

Eva smiled back.

Kono came back with a copy of the contact information and handed the original back to Davis.

"If there's nothing else, we'd like to take Eva home now." Davis said.

"Certainly." Steve said. "We're happy we could help."

Davis took a business card from other pocket in his coat and handed it to Steve. "That has all the numbers I can be reached at." He shook both Danny's and Steve's hands, then looked down at his daughter. "Ready to go, sunshine?"

Eva nodded and slid off her mother's lap. She came over to Danny and looked up at him, tugging on his pants leg. He looked down and then crouched down to be on eye level with her. She hugged him around the neck. The process was repeated with Steve, then she left, hand in hand with her parents, the bear tucked under one arm.

After the Taylor's left, Danny looked at Steve and said "How long before we get a call from the governor?"

Steve shrugged. "Depends on just how far up the food chain Leisel's father is in the Austrian government."

"Who takes the baby sitter but leaves the baby?" Kono asked. "If we're to believe what Eva told us, the both of them were taken but Eva was let go. Why?"

"When we get the case, _if_ we get the case, then we can find that out." Steve replied. "Until then, we have plenty to occupy us."

The phone call from Governor Jameson came two hours later, summoning the entire team to her office.

"Leisel Messerschmidt's father isn't just a trade minister in the Austrian government, he is THE trade minister. Now that Leisel has been officially reported missing, I want to be able to report to the minister, when I speak with him, that I have my best people on the case. The agency that hired Leisel has promised its full cooperation. To that end, they have already sent over her employment file, I have forwarded it to each of you already."

The phone on Gov. Jameson's desk rang. The governor picked it up and listened for a moment, nodded, wrote something down on a piece of paper, then hung up. "I have just received the flight information for the Messerschmidt's. The State Department just informed them of Leisel's disappearance. This was the earliest flight they could get."

She handed the sheet of paper to Steve. "I will let you know when I speak with the minister."

The Messerschmidt's were easy to spot. They were the first people off the JAL flight from Tokyo. Arm in arm, Steve watched them walk up the jet way and out into the terminal at Honolulu International Airport. Minister Messerschmidt was the taller of the two by a good six inches. He had a carryon bag over one shoulder and a coat draped over his free arm. Mrs. Messerschmidt also had a carryon bag.

The two complimented each other in looks and height, but there was also the weariness that hung over both of them, a weariness that had little to do with the marathon flight they had just finished.

He walked up to them as they came out onto the main walkway. "Minister Messerschmidt and Mrs. Messerschmidt?" When they both looked up, he continued "I'm Lt. Commander Steve McGarrett, Head of Hawaii Five-O, the state crime task force. Governor Jameson asked me to come and escort you to your lodgings and give you an update on your daughter's case." He held out a hand to Mrs. Messerschmidt. "May I take your bag?"

Mrs. Messerschmidt gave Steve the once over, hazel eyes clouded over with exhaustion but with a hint of their normal spark coming through. She nodded and handed him the bag. "Minister? May I take your bag and your coat?"

"Thank you, Commander but no." Minister Messerschmidt spoke English with only a very light accent. "You have introduced yourself, now allow us to do the same. I am Johan Messerschmidt. This is my wife, Nina." He gestured to his wife.

"Hello." Mrs. Messerschmidt said. She also spoke English with only a light accent. "What have you heard about Leisel?"

Steve smiled. "My car is parked right outside the door. I will be happy to tell you everything there."

She nodded.

Steve led the way out of the terminal and straight to his car. Once inside the Suburban, Steve focused on navigating the Escher like confines of the Honolulu International Airport parking lot. "Governor Jameson has a booked a suite for you at the Honolulu Hilton Resort. It's about fifteen minutes from here." He told the couple.

"What about Leisel?" Nina Messerschmidt said.

Steve bit back a sigh. "The Honolulu Police Dept. is currently scouring the islands looking for your daughter. She was last seen with Eva Marie Taylor, her charge, at around 11:30 a.m. Honolulu time. The agency she worked for has sent over her work file and we, my team and I are running down all of her known friends and acquaintances."

There was silence for a long moment, then "So, you don't know where she is?" Mrs. Messerschmidt asked.

Steve hated himself for saying it but he had to. "No, ma'am, not at this time."

Silence again, then the sounds of very soft, muffled crying. When Steve looked in the rearview mirror, he glimpsed Johan with an arm around his wife as she buried her face in his shoulder.

"Leisel is our only child, Commander." Johan said.

"Yes, sir."

"Is your team doing everything that can possibly be done to find her?"

"Yes, sir."

"Then, that is all we can ask."

A few minutes later, he wheeled the Suburban up into the front driveway at the Honolulu Hilton, pulling to a stop under the porche cocher. He got out and signaled to the doorman. The doorman sprang to life and snapped his fingers for a luggage cart. He advanced on the Suburban and opened the back door.

"Welcome to the Honolulu Hilton." He said, ending his greeting abruptly when he saw the drawn looks on the faces of the Messerschmidts.

"Governor Jameson has reserved a suite for Minister and Mrs. Messerschmidt." Steve told him.

"Yes, sir. If you will follow me, please."

After being checked in, Steve escorted the couple to a suite on the third floor overlooking the swimming pool. "Minister, I will come and get both you and your wife at 8 a.m." He handed Johan one of his Hawaii Five-O Task Force business cards. "This has all my information on it. Please don't hesitate to call, any time, day or night."

He looked at Nina Messerschmidt, slumped in a chair, the exhaustion and stress finally catching up with her. He crouched down in front of her. "Ma'am, we will do everything we can to find your daughter. Try to get some sleep, if at all possible."

"Thank you, Commander." Johan said. "We will be waiting."

Steve nodded and left the couple to their, hopefully, premature grief and to try to rest.


	2. Chapter 2

Part Two

The next morning when Steve arrived at the hotel, the Messerschmidt's were waiting in the lobby. They did not look much better than when Steve had left them the night before. It was a breezy Spring day but the Messerschmidts had no attention for it.

"Tell me, Commander, how does a U.S. Navy SeAL become the head of a state criminal task force?" Minister Messerschmidt asked Steve as they walked to the Suburban.

"Governor Jameson made me an offer I couldn't turn down." Steve replied.

"Do you miss it?" Minister Messerschmidt asked.

"Miss what?" Steve asked, opening the back passenger door for Mrs. Messerschmidt.

"Being in the military."

"I'm still in the military." Steve said, shutting the passenger door and walking around to the driver's side.

"But you're not active duty, you're in the reserves." Minister Messerschmidt persisted, opening the passenger door on the driver's side and climbing in.

"For the moment." Steve replied. He climbed behind the wheel and started the engine.

"Johan, leave the Commander alone. Stop bothering him." Minister Messerschmidt scolded him.

He replied in German.

Steve kept quiet, letting the Messerschmidts fuss at each other. Silence fell after a few minutes and the rest of the trip was made in silence. Governor Jameson was waiting for them when Steve pulled into the front of drive of the 5-0 Headquarters.

"Who is that?" Mrs. Messerschmidt asked.

"Governor Jameson." Steve replied, stopping the Suburban.

Minister Messerschmidt said something in German that Steve only caught snatches of, his grasp of German only going so far as to 'get his face slapped', according to a colleague.

"We don't have many women governors in the U.S." Steve said. "Governor Jameson is one of the best, man or woman." He climbed from the Suburban and went around to open the back passenger door but Minister Messerschmidt had already done so and was helping his wife out.

"Minister and Mrs. Johan Messerschmidt, Governor Patricia Jameson." Steve made the introductions.

Standing up on the steps, out of the way but able to respond if needed, was Jason Stambaugh, the head of the governor's security detail. Steve and Jason traded nods. After the greetings were over, Gov. Jameson turned to escort the Messerschmidt's inside.

"I'll be in, in a moment." Steve said when Mrs. Messerschmidt looked at him. "I have to park."

She nodded and followed her husband inside. By the time Steve made it to the 5-0 headquarters on the fifth floor, chaos had erupted. Mrs. Messerschmidt was sitting in a chair, sobbing uncontrollably with her husband and Gov. Jameson bending over her. Kono stood off to one side, looking perplexed, confused and upset all at the same time.

Danny had not arrived yet so, Chin sidled over to the Steve and explained what had happened, keeping his voice low. "Mrs. Messerschmidt saw Kono from behind and thought she was Leisel. When Kono turned around and Mrs. Messerschmidt saw that it wasn't her daughter, she just dissolved, that's where you came in."

Steve nodded. "Do we have anything new I can tell them?" He looked at the Messerschmidts. "Saying we get that far."

"Not yet. Right now, we're working on developing a search area starting from the Taylor's house and moving outwards."

"Commander?" Governor Jameson said to Steve.

"Yes, ma'am?" Steve replied.

"Your office." Governor Jameson said. It wasn't a question.

"Yes, ma'am." Steve watched Minister Messerschmidt and the governor take Mrs. Messerschmidt into his office. It hadn't occurred to him just how much Kono did look like Leisel. It was something he needed to remember.

Danny came in just as the door to Steve's office closed. He looked over at the office, then back at Steve, his eyebrows quirking upward. Steve cut his eyes toward Kono and Danny nodded.

"All right, while the Messerschmidts are speaking with the governor, let's go over what we have." Steve said.

The team gathered at the _magic table_, so called for its ability to perform just about any task a computer could do and then some. Kono called up a map of the area that Eva and her parents lived in. She then enlarged the map to include the park where Leisel was to have taken Eva and the area where Eva was eventually found.

"According to Mrs. Taylor, Leisel and Eva headed to the park at around ten a.m. They were supposed to be there until Noon or 12:30, then come back to the house for lunch and for Eva to take a nap." Kono said.

"We saw Eva when?" Danny asked Steve. "One o'clock?"

Steve nodded.

"So, we saw her a full half hour _after_ she was supposed to be at home as well as four miles from her house." Danny added.

"The park is a ten minute walk from the house." Kono said, pointing to the park, then the house. "The Taylor's picked that house because it was so close to a park and there had never been any problems in the area."

"Saying they left the park at Noon, that would put them back at the house at 12:10." Chin said. "Plenty of time to eat and put Eva to bed." He paused for a moment, looking at the map. "What if someone came to the house while Leisel was putting Eva to bed and took both of them? No, wait, what if they never got to the house in the first place? If we work backwards from where you guys found Eva, that might tighten the search radius a bit." He typed in a series of equations, attempting to find out where Eva had started her walk. It took three tries before a satisfactory answer was found.

"You're right. They never got anywhere near the house." Steve said, looking at the screen. "They were taken straight from the park. Eva didn't stay with Leisel for very long after they were picked up either."

"Looks like she was trying to get Eva out of harm's way as best she could." Kono said.

The door to Steve's office opened and Governor Jameson came out.

"Commander?" She asked Steve.

"Yes, ma'am?"

"The Messerschmidt's are going to return to their hotel."

"Yes, ma'am. I'll go get the Suburban."

Governor Jameson held up her hand to stop him. "I've gotten one of my driver's to do that. Mrs. Messerschmidt would like to speak with Officer Kalakaua."

Kono looked at Steve, who nodded.

"Okay." Kono said. She followed Governor Jameson into Steve's office, reappearing a few minutes later. The Messerschmidts came after her, Minister Messerschmidt with his arm around his wife, the governor walking with them.

"Mrs. Messerschmidt wanted to apologize." Kono said, answering the unspoken question.

"Apologize?" Chin asked.

Kono nodded. "She says she didn't mean to cause such a fuss. I just happen to look like Leisel, from the back anyway."

Governor Jameson returned from seeing the Messerschmidts off and made her way over to the team.

"What do you have so far?" she asked.

Steve updated her and then told her of their next move, a canvas of the neighborhood.

Governor Jameson nodded. "Keep me informed."


	3. Chapter 3

Part Three

It was decided that Steve and Danny would focus on the neighborhood adjacent to the park while Kono and Chin focused on the area where Eva had been found. More than once, a homeowner, upon hearing Steve's last name, would look him up and down and say 'You're Jack McGarrett's boy.'

Steve would nod and say 'Yes, ma'am' or 'Yes, sir."

The fourth time it happened, Danny _looked_ at Steve as they walked back to the car.

Steve returned the look. "What? As you love to point out, we're on an island. Didn't people know your dad?"

"That's different. Pop was a fireman, even when people did know him, they didn't know me on sight. Now, my brother? Maybe." Danny said. He opened the driver's side door and climbed in.

Steve climbed in the passenger side. A half-smile graced his face. "If it was Mary standing there, they wouldn't have a clue. She looks more like our mom."

Danny nodded. "Matty looks more like our mom."

"You hear from him lately?" Steve asked.

The scowl on Danny's face was Steve's answer. Instead of saying anything else, he looked down at the list of people they had left to talk to.

Danny wheeled the car around the corner, before saying "You think Chin and Kono are having better luck than we are?"

Steve shrugged. "I don't know. I hope so."

House number six on the list, at the end of the next block, was the change in luck they had been looking for.

Mrs. Loretta Ramstein, the owner of House Number Six, took one look at Steve and said "Jack McGarrett's boy! Come in, come in."

Steve and Danny looked at each other for a long moment before entering the house. She led the two men to a sunlit room in the back of her house, overlooking a well kept back yard and flower bed. Not quite as tall as Steve, but with perfect posture, even at her advanced age, she waved them into matching chairs across from an armchair and a low table.

"May I get you gentlemen something to drink?" she asked.

"No, ma'am." Steve said.

"Ever since you came back to the islands, I've been hearing bits and pieces of what you've been doing. A commander in the Navy, a Navy SeAL, the head of the state crime task force. Your father would be so proud of you." Mrs. Ramstein beamed at Steve, like a proud grandmother, her sky blue eyes dancing. A frown crossed her face a moment later. "You have my deepest sympathies. Your father helped me when no one else would." She shook her head. "How many years ago was that?" She said, more to herself.

"But listen to me, you didn't come in just to listen to an old woman ramble, especially one who hasn't bothered to introduce herself." She held out her hand to Steve. "Loretta Ramstein."

"Commander Steve McGarrett, Five-O." Steve replied, taking her hand in his, noticing that her grip was quite firm. "This is my partner, Detective Danny Williams, Honolulu Police Department."

Danny smiled and shook her hand.

"What do you gentlemen need from me?" She asked.

Steve laid out their reason for being there, ending with "Did you see anything or anyone out of the ordinary around one o'clock yesterday?"

Mrs. Ramstein leaned back in her chair, her brow furrowing in thought. She stood up and left the room, returning a moment later with a calendar. "I thought so." She said, looking up at the two men.

"Two days ago, I was coming back from playing bridge." She smiled and added, "When you retire, you will wonder how you got so much done while working." She put the calendar on a table and sat down. "I was pulling into the driveway and had just cleared the street when this black SUV came tearing down the road. It would've hit me if I had still been out in the street and what a mess that would've been. He was going WAY too fast."

"You said 'he' you get a good look at the driver?" Steve asked.

Mrs. Ramstein shook her head. "I only caught a glimpse, enough to tell that it was a man driving. But I did get the license plate. I wrote the number down, let me get it." She left the room, then came back with a scrap of paper that she handed to Steve.

"Black Ford Explorer, Plate # XYZ-42..." He read the information out loud.

"I wasn't able to get the whole plate but I got most of it." Mrs. Ramstein said.

"You got all the vehicle info too, great." Danny said.

Mrs. Ramstein smiled and sat down again. "A while ago there was a rash of break ins in the neighborhood. Someone from the police department came out and gave a talk on how to protect yourself and your belongings and what to look for to see if someone is up to no good. I took notes."

"I wish more people paid attention like you did. It would make our jobs WAY easier." Danny said. "Let me scan that in and I'll send it to Kono"

Steve handed him the piece of paper and he left the room.

"It's amazing what you can do with technology nowadays." Mrs. Ramstein said.

"When technology works, it's great." Steve agreed.

"I'm certain you've heard this a lot but I think your father would be thrilled with what you're doing. It's good to know that he raised his children to want to help others." Mrs. Ramstein said.

Steve flushed. "Yes, ma'am."

Danny came back into the room and said, "Kono's got the info and she's running it down now"

Steve stood and held out his hand to Mrs. Ramstein. "Thank you, you've been a great help."

Mrs. Ramstein stood and shook Steve's hand. "You are most welcome. Anything for Jack McGarrett's son."

Steve could feel the flush start to climb into his face again.

Mrs. Ramstein walked the two men to the door and bid them good-bye and good luck.

"Next house?" Danny asked.

Steve nodded, his mind preoccupied by what Mrs. Ramstein had said.


	4. Chapter 4

Part Four

"Boss, Chin's on the tail of the plate Danny sent in." Those were the first words out of Kono's mouth when Steve and Danny walked into the 5-0 headquarters.

"He is?" Steve asked.

"That was fast." Danny said.

She waved them over to the _magic table _and pointed at series of dots. "A patrol unit spotted the plate and when he went to pull it over, the driver took off. Chin was on his way back here when he heard about it...Cuz, I'm putting you on speaker, Steve and Danny are here."

The muffled sounds of a siren filled the room. It was right then that both men noticed an earpiece clipped to Kono's ear.

"The SUV belongs to guy named Louis Schonk, a small time hood." Kono said.

"Chin?" Steve asked, looking at the map on the table.

"Yeah?"

"You're coming up on Akina Blvd. Take a left, loop around him and cut him off."

"On it."

All three watched the moving dots on the table, their ears straining to hear anything they could. The dots came to a halt and there were muffled sounds of orders being shouted accompanied by the sirens.

"Chin?" Steve asked, after a few moments.

"Got 'im." Chin's voice filled the room. "He tried to rabbit but a youngster chased him down."

Kono snorted

They could hear someone speaking to Chin but couldn't make out the words. Then they heard "5-0 headquarters interrogation."

"Guys? I'm on my way back, be there in about ten minutes." Chin said.

"See you then, good job." Steve said.

"I'll tell them." Chin said.

In silence that followed, Steve looked first at Danny, then at Kono, a horrible, evil smile spreading across his face.

"Don't smile like that. You worry me when you do." Danny said to him.

Steve made a face at him before saying "Kono, I want you to interrogate the driver."

"Really?"

Steve nodded. "Everyone needs practice in interrogation. Besides, you're close to Leisel in age, he might think he can con you."

"You want me to lead him on? Maybe let him think he can con his way into getting me to let him walk?" Kono asked.

"Yes. That's exactly what I want you to do." Steve replied. He looked at Danny and the faces Danny was making. "Or I can have the Jewish mama do it."

Danny frowned. "I am not...never mind."

"It's not going to be that hard." Kono said, calling up Louis Schonk's criminal record and sending it to the big screen. "Seriously small time stuff." She pointed at specific items. "No more than sixty days in the county lock-up, thirty days here, sixty days there and all for minor stuff, FTA's, failure to pay court costs…He's a wannabe. It's really just kinda...sad. Guy's a loser." She caught sight of the look on Steve's face and added "Well? If you're going to be a criminal...they've got reputations too, don't they?"

Steve covered his mouth with his hand to hide his smile and nodded.

"There he is." Chin said, walking into the room. He saw the picture on the screen and pointed at the screen. "That guy...lolo buggah."

There was another snort from Kono.

"Translation?" Danny asked.

"Stupid person." Chin said. "He's driving the SUV used in the kidnapping, he runs from the cops and when he's finally caught, what does he say?"

"I didn't know the cops wanted me to stop." Danny offered.

"Why you pulling me over?" Kono said.

"What'd I do?" Steve added.

Chin nodded. "All of those and a few more."

"You'd think that one of these days, they would come up with something new." Danny said.

"He's waiting downstairs. Who gets to have the fun?" Chin asked.

Kono walked into the interrogation room and shut the door behind her. Seated and handcuffed to the chair was a young man with scraggly blonde hair. In fact, scraggly would describe the young man completely. Scraggly hair, clothes, posture. Slumped in the chair when Kono walked in, Louis took one look at her and straightened.

She smiled and sat down across the table from him. "I'm Officer Kono Kalakaua. I'm here to speak with you. You were told why you were brought in."

Louis nodded, slouching back in the chair. "They said somethin' about my ride bein' used to kidnap someone."

Kono nodded, opening the folder in front of her. "But you have no idea what they're talking about."

"No. I'm not stupid. Why would I do something like that? I don't need to kidnap anybody. I can get any girl I want. You don't look like a cop."

Kono looked up from the folder. "I don't?"

"Nah, you're too pretty." Louis said, leering at her.

She smiled. "Thank you. If you didn't have anything to do with the kidnapping, then why was your SUV identified as the one involved?"

He shrugged. "A lot of people can get to it. The keys are wherever I put 'em."

"You don't keep your SUV locked?"

"Why bother?"

"Well, looking at your record, I will say that kidnapping does not seem to be your thing."

"What'cha mean?" Louis asked, sitting up straighter.

"You've got a bunch of minor things but nothing big. You've never served more than sixty days in the county jail. Kidnapping..." Kono shrugged.

"Yeah, well..."Louis hunched his shoulders. "I'm working on other things."

"Like what?"

"I'm not tellin' you. I'm not stupid."

Kono nodded. "You got a girlfriend?"

He looked up sharply. "Maybe. Why?"

"This her?" Kono took a picture from the folder and showed it to him. The look on his face gave her the confirmation to an answer she already knew.

"What about her?" Louis asked.

"She went missing about the same time as your SUV was spotted. Think the two might have something to do with each other?"

"No! I'm..."

Kono held up her hand. "I know, you're not stupid. Thing is," She put both arms on the table, leaned forward and smiled. "…if your girlfriend's been taken and you help find her? That's quite a turn on for a lot of women."

Louis blinked.

"Might even get you some time in the state prison."

"Really?"

"Really. Hey, it was your SUV they used. At the very least, you'd be an accessory."

Louis swallowed.

Kono leaned back in her chair and waited. She didn't wait long.

"What do I have to do?"

The ramshackle two story house located in the middle of the block of run down houses did not stand out from the rest, save the police and 5-0 surrounding it. With the sun heading towards the horizon, the house was cast in deep shadows, allowing the police ample opportunity to secure the property before the thugs ever knew what happened. One flash bang grenade in the front, one in the back and the trap was sprung. It was a flawless takedown, except for one detail.

Leisel was nowhere to be found.

Amid the chorus' of "Clear!", Steve marched up the stairs, hauled the first perp he saw to his feet and promptly shoved him out the closest window, holding onto the man's ankles as he did.

The man screamed and started to beg for mercy.

"The girl! Where is she?!" Steve barked.

"Girl!? What girl?! Don't drop me, man! Please!"

Steve shook the man in response.

"Please! Don't drop me!"

"The girl! Before I let go!"

Chin came into the room at that point. He took one look at Steve and said "Again?"

"My arms are getting tired!"

"All right! Just don't drop me! She's in the bathroom up here!"

Steve looked over at Chin and Danny, who had joined both him, both men shook their heads.

"Try again! She's not there!"

"She was! I swear she was!"

"Is he really worth the paperwork?" Danny asked, coming up next to Steve and peering out the window.

"Please! Don't drop me!" The man begged.

"That's a bit of a drop." Danny said. "And no grass either."

"If…if she didn't get the next dose of downers, she…she could've crawled off somewhere!"

"Where!?" Steve demanded.

"I don't know!"

"You'll have to do better!"

"Uh…uh…there's a warehouse…end of the block…please!"

Abruptly, Steve yanked the man back through the window and dumped him on the floor. He looked backed through the window but saw only a row of houses. He stepped over the perp, still sprawled on the floor and walked across the hallway. The view out a window on the other side of the house showed a large warehouse not too far in the distance.

Steve turned, caught sight of Kono and waved at her and the others to join him in the room. "Kono, you and Chin check out that warehouse." He said, pointing out the window. "Danny, you and I are going to talk to the…others." He smiled.


	5. Chapter 5

Part Five

The warehouse at the end of the block was as decrepit as the rest of the block. What had once been a bustling area full of workers and activity was now, slowly, sliding into oblivion. The scattered remains of machines and packing crates did not make finding Leisel easy.

"She's where?" Kono asked, coming up to Chin. In the growing twilight, it would be hard to spot someone if they chose to hide themselves well.

Chin pointed to a stack of crates over to the left and up a small landing. "She crawled over there. I couldn't tell if she was armed or not."

Kono eyed her cousin. "You couldn't tell? She could cave my skull in, you know?"

"Nah, your head's too hard. Your parents have said so _many_ times." Chin replied.

Ignoring his last comment, Kono scanned the area Chin had pointed out and, after her eyes had adjusted to the growing darkness, was able to see Leisel, curled up between two giant boxes. She advanced on the boxes, identifying herself as she went.

"Leisel? My name is Kono, I'm a cop. I'm with Hawaii Five-O. Your parents are really worried about you."

In the background, Danny and Steve came up to Chin but said nothing.

Kono could hear Leisel scrabbling further back amongst the boxes. "Leisel? I'm not going to hurt you. I'm here to help." She hauled herself up onto the small landing and, with a muttered prayer, peered between the boxes.

Nothing.

She picked her head up and looked around. _Crap. She was right there._

She heard a whistle behind her. When she looked over her shoulder, she could just make out Chin motioning to the left. She nodded and hopped up and over an oversized crate, disappearing from view

"Leisel, really, I'm not going to hurt you. I swear. I'm a cop. I'm not going to lie."

She checked one box after the other then, finally, she spotted the girl, curled into the corner of a crate as far she could go. Kono got down on her hands and knees. "Leisel? My name is Kono. I'm here to help you get back to your parents."

Leisel shook her head violently and that's when Kono saw the wrench.

_Great, thanks Cuz._

Kono inched closer to the girl. "Leisel, you don't have to be afraid. I'm not going to hurt you."

Leisel's head shot up and she glared at Kono. "Get away from me." Her grip tightened on the wrench.

"Leisel, come on. I'm a cop, I'm not going to do anything to you." Kono said.

"How do I know who you are?" Leisel snapped.

"I have id. I can show you."

"Counterfeit." Leisel said.

"Okay, if I would go through the hassle of getting fake id, then why would I be crawling around in these crates in the dark with the possibility of getting whacked with something. Wouldn't I just come in and grab you?" Kono asked. She inched a millimeter forward.

"You could send someone else in." Leisel said. In the growing darkness, she missed seeing Kono move ever closer

"Yeah, I could. So, if I could do that, then why would I be doing this?" Kono sat back on her heels and whacked her head on the top of the crate. "Damn!" She rubbed the spot she'd whacked. "I can guarantee you I wouldn't."

Kono continued to inch ever closer. She was almost within arms reach when she thought she heard something behind her creak.

"I don't believe you. I think he sent you to find me and...and...and...Louis' already promised to give him what he wants so what does it mat..." She broke off with a sharp cry as Kono reached out and grabbed her under the arms.

The hand with the wrench lashed out and Kono felt a jolt of pain shoot up her arm but nothing after that. Behind her, Chin and Danny appeared from...nowhere. Between the two of them, they hauled the kicking, screaming, terrified girl out of her hiding place.

Kono ignored the pain in her arm and went to the girl, struggling against Danny and Chin. "Leisel. Leisel? Leisel!" She took Leisel's face in her hands. "Look at me…LOOK at me."

It took some time but, finally, Leisel's eyes met Kono's.

"You're safe. You'll be fine. Relax, you're safe." Kono told Leisel.

Leisel blinked several times, her mouth opened and closed, opened and closed but no sound came out. Her eyelids slid shut and she crumpled to the ground in a dead faint.

Chin caught her and scooped her up. "Any idea what they had her on?" He asked Kono.

"Downers. Nothing more specific." Kono said.

He nodded and headed to a waiting ambulance, that Kono just noticed. In fact, the entire area was now crawling with police.

Kono stood there, watching, the longer she stood there, the worse she felt. A wave of cold swept over her, followed by a wave of nausea. She bent over, her hands on her knees.

"You okay?" Danny asked her.

She shook her head and dashed for some crates, retching up her last meal. Behind her, she could Danny cussing about something. She sat back on her heels and ran the back of her hand across her mouth. A few moments later, she came back out and sank down on to the landing. _Damn, I feel like crap._

Chin came up next to her with a bottle of water. "Nerves. It's nerves, Cuz." He opened the bottle and handed it to her. " Swish it around and spit it out. Don't swallow the first couple of sips."

"Nerves?" She managed, after taking a few sips.

"Yeah, all that adrenaline makes you sick to your stomach. Trust me, you're not the first."

Kono leaned against the railing, feeling marginally better.

"Now, you're getting in the ambulance and going to the hospital with Leisel, so they can check you out and make sure you're okay." Chin told her.

Before she could stop herself, out of her mouth came, "I'm fine."

"Kono, there is room for one stubborn jackass on this team and that's me." Steve said, walking over to her. He crouched down in front of her. "You're going and you're not arguing about it. Got it?"

She blinked. "Yes, sir."

She took Chin's offered hand and allowed him to escort her to the waiting 'bus. Just before he handed her into it, he pulled her into a quick, tight hug.

"You did good, Cuz, real good." Chin said into her ear.

Startled, Kono could do little more than stare at him.

"Stay at the hospital. One of us will be along as soon as we can." Chin told her.

She nodded.

He shut the doors on the 'bus, then thumped on them to signal that the 'bus could leave, watching it go before returning to the others.


	6. Chapter 6

Part Six

After being checked out and given a clean bill of health, Kono went looking for Leisel and the doctor treating her. She found him coming out of a treatment room two doors away from where she had been seen.

"Dr. Wolfram?" She asked the rail thin older man as he stepped into the hallway.

"Yes?" He turned and looked at her, tired gray/green eyes assessing her.

"I'm Officer Kono Kalakaua with Hawaii 5-0. I came in with Leisel Messerschmidt. Her parents are on the way. Until they get here, I need to stay with her. How is she doing?"

Instead of answering, Dr. Wolfram subjected Kono to a look she was well acquainted with, the '_There_ _Is No Possible Way You Are Old Enough to be a Cop…I Have Shoes Older than You_' look.

Kono smiled and repeated herself, showing Dr. Wolfram her id and badge. "You are welcome to call my boss, Commander Steve McGarrett. He will be happy to speak with you. He should be on his way here. Would you like his phone number?"

Dr. Wolfram nodded, then went down the hallway to make the phone call. He returned a few minutes later. "I have to be certain. You understand."

"Of course. Now, about Leisel, how is she?" Kono asked.

Dr. Wolfram nodded to the door to Trauma Room #3, across from where Kono stood. He opened the door and waved her in. Leisel was asleep, a blanket pulled up nearly to her chin. "The blood work hasn't come back yet but I feel comfortable in saying that some kind of prescription sleep aid was used to keep her quiet."

Kono nodded.

"She also received quite a beating on the soles of her feet. They will heal but it will take some time and it will be extremely painful for her to walk until they do. I'm keeping her here for the next couple of days just to make certain she doesn't suffer any adverse reactions from coming off the sleep aids so abruptly. She'll be moved to a room just as soon as one opens up. Your boss said he was bringing her parents?"

"Yes, sir. I'm going to stay with her until they arrive." Kono replied.

Dr. Wolfram nodded. "I'll make sure they're directed back here as soon as they arrive."

Not quite an hour later, the treatment room door opened and Mr. and Mrs. Messerschmidt came in with Steve behind them. Mrs. Messerschmidt only had eyes for her daughter. She approached the bed, tears streaming down her face. Kono stood up and moved out of the way. Mrs. Messerschmidt sat down in the chair and took her daughter's hand in hers. Murmuring in German, she brushed Leisel's hair back from her face. Mr. Messerschmidt came over to the other side of the bed and took Leisel's other hand in his.

Steve caught Kono's eye and motioned for her to follow him into the hallway. Once out there, he smiled and said "I'm your ride home."

Kono looked at the room, then at Steve. "Dr. Wolfram talked with them?"

Steve nodded. "Come on, we can talk in the truck."

Kono followed him down the hallway and outside into the cool, damp night, a thousand questions on her mind but when she got into the truck, they disappeared. She hadn't realized how drained she was until she buckled her seat belt. She had a very hard time staying awake for the short trip to her house. She had even started to doze off when Steve brought the truck to a stop.

"Get some sleep." He said. "You've more than earned it. I don't want to see you until you've slept yourself out. Understand?"

Kono nodded. "Yes, sir. Night, boss."

"Night."

She climbed from the truck, shut the door and started up the front walk.

"Kono…" Steve called after her.

She turned, squinting to see Steve in the dark. "Yeah?"

"You did real well. Mahalo." _Thank you._

Kono smiled. "He mea iki." _You're welcome_.

The rest of the team did not see Kono until late the next day. When she came in, she was immediately sent to the governor's office, per a direct request from Governor Jameson herself. When Kono returned, she was promptly cornered by the entire team.

"Gov. Jameson didn't tell me why she wanted to see you." Steve said.

Chin and Danny just looked at her.

Kono could feel the heat rising to her face. "She wanted to thank me personally for finding Leisel and staying with her." She shrugged. "I don't get what the big deal is. I did my job."

"Enjoy it, Cuz." Chin said. "Later on, when you get scolded for stuff you didn't do, this'll make it better."

Danny nodded. "It's good to have, at least, _one_ person on the team who's in the governor's good graces."

"Besides yourself, Danno?" Steve asked. He looked at Kono. "The praise is deserved. Leisel was very lucky to have you there."

Kono flushed. "How is Leisel? Have you heard anything?"

"I have. She's doing fine. What I need for you to do is get her statement."

"I'm on it." Kono said. She was out the door and gone in moments.

Kono knocked gently on the door to Leisel's room. When she received no response, she pushed the door open just enough to look in. Leisel was sitting in the visitor's chair, staring out the window, her chin propped on one fist. Save for the hospital gown and the bandages on her feet, she could've been another visitor. Those two things were the only evidence of what she had been through. Taking a deep breath, Kono pushed the door open further and walked in, shutting the door behind her.

"Leisel? I'm Officer Kalakaua from Hawaii 5-0. Can I talk to you for a couple of minutes?"

At the sound of Kono's voice, Leisel started and looked in her direction. Fear, plain as day, was etched on her face but as quickly as it came, it was gone, replaced by confusion.

Kono held out her badge as she approached Leisel. "I'm Officer Kalakaua with Hawaii 5-0. We helped rescue you last night."

Confusion morphed into embarrassment on Leisel's face. "I don't remember much from the past few days." Her English was near perfect with only a faint accent coloring her words.

"That's completely all right. I wouldn't expect you to remember too much. May I sit down?"

Leisel nodded and Kono sat down on the edge of the bed. The two sat in silence for a few minutes before Leisel spoke.

"My parents will be back in a few minutes. Dr. Wolfram insists that they don't just sit here. I think they went to get something to eat."

Kono nodded. "Eating is always a good idea. How are you doing?"

Leisel flushed. She looked down and away from Kono. "Fine." She murmured.

"I'm sure you know this but in case you don't, you're not the first woman to be taken in by her boyfriend."

Leisel sighed and shook her head. "I know better. Or I should've known better. It's not like I've never had a boyfriend before."

"Ah, so, you're a mind reader." Kono said. "What am I thinking now?"

Startled by Kono's question, Leisel laughed and said "You're thinking I shouldn't be so hard on myself."

"Absolutely correct."

"What's going to happen to Louis?" Leisel asked, looking almost too embarrassed to ask.

Kono shook her head. "Don't worry about him. The legal system will handle it."

Leisel nodded.

"That's why I'm here. What I need from you is a statement from you about what happened, whatever you remember. It's okay if you don't remember much."

Leisel thought for a long moment, then began to speak. She had just finished when the door to her room opened again and the Taylors walked in, Mr. Taylor carrying Eva.

Leisel's face lit up when she saw Eva. For her part, Eva squirmed in her father's arms until he put her down. With sure steps, Eva walked over to Leisel and attempted to climb into her lap. She was unsuccessful until Kono helped out, lifting the little girl up. Eva, wreathed in smiles, held out a stuffed bear to Leisel. When Leisel took the bear, Eva settled in, resting her head on Leisel's shoulder, thumb in her mouth.

Mystified, Leisel looked from the bear to the Taylors.

"Eva was given that bear by the police after she was found." Mrs. Taylor said. "They gave it to her for being brave. She was determined to bring it with her and give it to you for being brave."

Leisel blinked and tears started to roll down her face. She kissed the top of Eva's head, murmuring "Leibechen." _sweetheart_

Kono moved toward the door. "Thank you for talking with me, Leisel. You gave me everything I needed. Speedy recovery to you."

Leisel distracted by Eva, looked up, nodded, then back down.

"It's a pleasure to see all of you under much happier circumstances." Kono said to the Taylors.

Before she could make it as far as the door, however, Eva climbed down from Leisel's lap and walked over to her. As she had with Steve and Danny, she tugged on Kono's pants leg. Kono squatted down and happily accepted a hug around the neck.

"You're welcome." Kono told her.


	7. Chapter 7

Part Seven

Two days later, the Messerschmidts came to the 5-0 headquarters to say their goodbyes. Leisel was not with them. After much debate and discussion with both the Taylors and her parents, she had chosen to stay in Hawaii. Mrs. Messerschmidt was not happy about her daughter's decision but realized that Leisel was an adult and gave in gracefully.

Steve came out of his office when he saw them, motioning for the others to join him. "Minister and Mrs. Messerschmidt, on your way to the airport?"

Minister Messerschmidt nodded, clasping Steve's hand between both of his. "It's time. Leisel has chosen to stay and I truly must return to Austria. We came to thank you and your team one more time."

Mrs. Messerschmidt simply nodded, apparently content to let her husband do the talking.

Minister Messerschmidt shook hands with each team member. After shaking hands with Kono, he kissed her on both cheeks.

"If you ever get tired of this job, you will come to work for me. You will ALWAYS have a job with me." He told her.

Kono blushed furiously and murmured "Thank you."

"You," Minister Messerschmidt pointed at Steve. "you are very lucky to have such good people working for you, especially Officer Kalakaua."

"Yes, sir. I know that." Steve replied.

Mrs. Messerschmidt shook hands with the team as well, giving Kono a fierce hug. "Thank you, thank you."

"If any of you are ever in Austria, you MUST let us know. We will show you a side that visitors don't normally see. And if there is ever anything we can do for you, please, let us know." Minister Messerschmidt said.

"Absolutely, Minister. It would be a pleasure." Steve said.

The Messerschmidts were gone as quickly as they came.

"McGarrett." Steve answered his office phone without bothering to check the caller id, his mind elsewhere. Two weeks had passed since the Messerschmidts had departed and new cases had taken his attention.

"Commander McGarrett, my name is Marcus Holzknecht. I'm the assistant attaché to the Austrian Consulate here in Hawaii."

Steve stopped what he was doing and starred at the phone. What had happened now?

"Commander McGarrett?" Mr. Holzknecht asked, after receiving no reply to his greeting.

"I'm here. What can I do for you, Mr. Holzknect?" Steve replied.

"May I come by your office today? I have something from Minister Messerschmidt and his wife that I've been instructed to deliver personally. It's a thank you from them."

Steve looked at his watch. There was plenty of time left in the day. "Can you be here by five?"

"Certainly. I will see you then. Goodbye."

Steve hung up, looked at the phone for a moment, then went back to searching for that _one_ piece of paper he needed.

Marcus Holzknecht arrived at the 5-0 office promptly at five o'clock. A uniformed officer brought him to Steve's office, the officer knocking politely on the officer door before opening it. "Commander? Mr. Holzknecht is here to see you."

Steve nodded. He came around his desk and held out his to the man. "Mr. Holzknecht, it's a pleasure to meet you."

Marcus Holzknecht, a tall, slim man with auburn hair and dark eyes, shook hands with Steve. "Thank you for agreeing to see me." He spoke with only the slightest trace of an accent. "Is Officer Kalakaua still here?"

"She is." Steve went to the door and waved at the other team members to come over. Kono, the reason for Mr. Holzknecht visit, had to be nudged by Chin.

When they were all in his office, Steve introduced Marcus. "This is Marcus Holzknecht, the assistant attaché for the Austrian Consulate here on the island. Mr. Holzknecht?"

Marcus nodded. His eyes moved from Danny to Chin and then settled on Kono. "Officer Kalakaua, the Messerschmidts have spoken to our embassy in Washington, DC. and their message was sent to the consulate here in Hawaii. On behalf of the Messerschmidts, I would like to thank you, and the rest of the 5-0, for finding their daughter." He pulled an envelope and a small box from an inner coat pocket and handed both to her.

Kono looked at him for a moment before taking both. "Mr. Holzknecht, thank you, this is very kind but I was just doing my job. The thanks go to all of us."

"Officer Kalakaua, I do understand, really I do. I am simply the messenger in this instance."

"Go on, open the envelope." Chin told her.

She did and pulled out what appeared to be a check. Her eyes popped open when she saw the amount. She looked at Mr. Holzknecht and he smiled.

"Well?" Steve asked.

Without a word, Kono handed Steve the check. He looked at the amount and whistled. He looked at Marcus as well. Marcus nodded.

"And?" Danny asked.

Steve turned the check around and showed Danny and Chin. $10,000, made payable to Hawaii 5-0.

Both men blinked.

In the silence that followed, Marcus reminded Kono of the box in her hand. She looked down at the box and slowly opened it. Inside lay a small gold medallion attached to a ribbon. She pulled it from the box and held it out for the others to see. On the front of the medal was an engraving in a language other than English. On the back was a picture of a double headed eagle.

"What's it say?" Danny asked.

"It says 'Medal of Honor for Assistance to Austrian Youth' in German." Mr. Holzknecht said. "The seal of Austria is on the back. The Messerschmidt's, particularly Minister Messerschmidt, were looking for an appropriate way to express their thanks. The medal is what they chose."

There was a long silence afterwards. No one quite seemed to know what to say.

"My job is down. I need to return to the consulate." Mr. Holzknecht spoke, breaking the silence. He shook hands with Kono and Steve and the rest of the team, then departed.

"All right, you two back to what you were doing." Steve said, pointing at Danny and Chin. "Kono, let's talk for a moment."

Kono watched the two men depart before looking back at Steve.

"Have a seat." He said, perching on the edge of his desk.

She did.

"Not used to being the center of attention?" He asked.

"Not any more." She replied. "When I was surfing, sure, attention, especially if you won, was just an accepted part of it. Now? No. I was just doing my job." The box started to shift between her hands.

"Your job used to be surfing."

"But it's not anymore. People don't pay attention to the police….Well, they don't unless they need them or a cop's done something he shouldn't have."

"Makes you uncomfortable?"

"Yeah, I don't do this job for the attention." She grinned and added "I leave that to you, Boss."

"Ouch." Steve grinned back. "I'm not entirely in it for the attention. Watching Danny's face change colors is plenty entertaining."

Kono shook her head. "That's terrible."

"Yeah, well…Listen, just as in surfing, when you do something good, people will pay attention. That's not a bad thing, as simplistic as that sounds. You don't have to be embarrassed. Okay?"

She nodded. "You know, we could use some of the ten grand for therapy for Danny."

Steve snorted.


	8. Chapter 8 (The End)

Part Eight

One month later, Chin pushed open the door to Kono's office and said "You've got visitors."

Kono looked up from the report she had been writing. Leisel was standing in the doorway. When Kono stood up, she saw Eva as well. She came around the desk and held out her hands.

"What a pleasure to see you, both of you. Have a seat."

Leisel shook her head. "We won't be long." She started to say something else, stopped, then started again. "Thank you. I know you've already been thanked by everyone. But I haven't, not really." She looked down at Eva. "We were out for a walk and Eva pointed at this building. So, we came over to look and once we got closer, I knew why she had pointed at it."

Eva smiled.

"Since we were in front of it already, we came in."

"What a nice surprise. Is there anything I can..."

Leisel shook her head, cutting off Kono. "I came to say thank you, personally."

Eva tugged on Leisel's hand just then.

"Yes, Eva, I haven't forgotten." Leisel said to her charge. "Go on."

Eva looked at Kono, who had crouched down in front of her, wrapped her arms around Kono's neck and said in a clear, sweet voice "Thank you, Officer Kono."

Leisel smiled at the look of utter surprise on Kono's face. "Eva said her first words a couple of weeks ago. She was determined to learn all of your names and come and thank you personally. She wanted to use your last name but she just couldn't get it right."

Kono hugged Eva and whispered in the little girl's ear "It's okay. Adults can't get it right either." Out loud, she said "_He mea iki_. That means 'thank you' in Hawaiian."

Eva nodded solemnly.

"You did this for everyone?" Kono asked her.

Eva nodded.

"She wanted to see you last." Leisel said.

"I am honored." Kono said to Eva.

Eva giggled, then, suddenly shy, hid behind Leisel.

"Oh, now you hide." Kono said, standing up. It was only then that she saw the other three members of 5-0 standing just out in the hallway.

Leisel's phone chirped, prompting her to say, "Time for us to go. Our ride will be here shortly. "Say good-bye." She told Eva.

Eva chose to wave.

The End!


End file.
